Back in Heaven, the guardian angels sighed in relief when Annabelle herself received them; in fact, it was her who created the portal that transported them.

"How are you feeling, Annabelle?" Bess asked her.

"Much better now. Luckily, I got a good energy transfusion, and recovered in no time." Annabelle told them.

"Energy transfusion?" Charlie arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, and I was the donor."

Charlie cringed a bit when recognizing the voice coming from behind him. Then, he and the others turned to see a Doberman approaching them.

"Lance?" Itchy asked. "I thought you were in Antartica."

"Yes, I was, and I worked just fine with the penguins... but when my angel colleagues informed me about the attack on our dear Annabelle, I asked them to transport me here so I could give her part of my body energy so she'd recover faster from the attack." Lance explained before taking out a book Charlie and Itchy knew too well. "According to the newest edition of the Guardian Angels' Manual, the best way to counter an attack from a Hellish Protegee is with a Heavenly one's energy."

"And it worked quite well, Lance." Annabelle said to the Doberman before turning back at the other guardians. "I recovered just in time to watch your fight against Manfred. You all did an excellent job. And I'm glad to inform you that Jake is currently at a safe location where he'll be safe from any further Belladonna's attack, both from her and her protegees."

"Where?" Sasha asked.

"A sanctuary in France; it has a natural spring filled up with pure holy water. Any demon entering that place would burn instantly." Annabelle informed them. "This will also keep Jake's dark powers under control, so he can develop his moral and conscience, and eventually turn that energy into a force of good."

"You mean use the power of Hell against Belladonna and whatever pupil she gets?" Charlie asked, enjoying the ironic idea.

"Exactly. Keep in mind that demons, at least the most ancient ones, were originally angels that fell from grace when revealing against Heaven; in other words, their power and ours have a common origin, meaning it can be used for good if done the right way, just like Heavenly Power can be used for evil if used by a bad person or dog." Annabelle explained.

"Like that time when Carface made a deal with a demon to steal Gabriel's Horn?" Itchy asked, making reference to the first time both he and Charlie participated in a Heavenly mission.

"Exactly, Itchy; the power of good being corrupted by evil." Annabelle sighed before smiling again. "Luckily, things work the other way if done right. Also, about Belladonna's protegees... she'll not get new ones any time soon."

"Because of Manfred's failure?" Sasha asked.

"No, because she still has a living, functional protegee." Annabelle's comment made everyone gasp in surprise. "Yes, Manfred is alive; I sensed how Belladonna used her power on the building you guys were fighting in, and it was a teleportation spell. Right now, Manfred isn't as powerful as when you fought him, since he spent most of his energy during the battle, and even if Belladonna grants him new abilities, he'd still need time to build up enough strength to face you again."

"But he might still return in the future." Itchy groaned while the others shook their heads and got uncomfortable expressions.

"That guy is a like a cockroach infestation; you get rid of them, but they find a way back after a while." Charlie frowned.

"Well, we had enough problems for a day. See the bright side; if you could survive this, then whatever problem we face as a couple will be a piece of cake." Sasha smiled at her husband, Charlie grinning at her before kissing Sasha's lips.

"Heh, you're right, Sasha. And now I realize we're late for our reception..." Charlie paused. "If we still have a place and guests for it."

"Oh, don't worry, Charlie; my angels can arrange a nice place for the reception and get the guests back, and then we'll take you two to your honeymoon." Annabelle offered. "Now, go with them so you can be transported."

"Enjoy your reception, Charlie and Sasha, and congratulations." Lance paused when Annabelle placed a paw on his shoulder.

"You're coming too, Lance. After all, I'll be at the reception too, and I don't want to be the one dateless gal in the whole party." Annabelle smiled at the Doberman, who got a happy expression.

"I'll be honored to escort you, Madame." Lance saluted her. "Or is 'Maidemoiselle'? It would fit because you're single, but 'Madame' is a more respectful way to refer to a superior rank's female..."

"Lance, this is a direct order. Relax." Annabelle interrupted him; Lance was quite a good guardian angel, but sometimes he took formalities and regulations even more seriously than herself. "This is a party, and I'll be your date, so, please, just call me Annabelle, no 'Madame', 'Sir', or any other formal rank."

The Doberman nodded, and then the two of them went to the reception, Annabelle using her powers for mutual transportation, and making a mental note about probably giving Lance some special powers, as he was a brave and responsible guy who wouldn't abuse them and would use them for the greater good, and the only reason she hadn't done it in the past was due Lance's tendency of lecturing others and letting his success inflate his ego too much without him realizing it, so she had to be sure that making him a super powerful guardian wouldn't corrupt his heroic nature. Luckily for everyone, Annabelle had been monitoring his progress and calculated he was ready now to get those abilities, as long as she kept a close eye on him.

The reception was a very nice, animated one, and, not surprisingly, Bess caught Sasha's bouquet when she threw it to the single ladies at the party; considering Itchy's happiness when she did it, this made very obvious that, like tradition said, the gal catching the bouquet would be the next to get married.

As a wedding present, Annabelle transported Sasha and Charlie to Hawaii, providing them with a nice hut filled up with assorted food, a good sized bed, and easy access to the beach in a private location.

"I must say this about Annabelle; she really has an eye for good vacation spots." Charlie smiled while looking at the beach from the hut's door.

"Right now, I would like your eyes to be on me, Charlie."

Charlie turned back, smiling lovingly at his beautiful wife waiting for him at the bed, the female making seductive eyes at him.

"You have my full attention now, Sasha. Hope you don't mind if getting it all for the next few days." Charlie approached her, grinning while staring at her eyes.

"Come and show me your powers up close and personal, Mister Barkin." Sasha hugged him with her elastic arms.

"I'm up to the task, Mrs. Barkin, if you show me yours first." Charlie kissed her, and the only noises heard at the beach, besides the ocean's, was the loving sounds of the newly weds.

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